


Drawline

by basingtei



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Mild Language, aphelion - Freeform, bit of angst, shallura - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-01-08
Packaged: 2019-03-02 04:54:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13310973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/basingtei/pseuds/basingtei
Summary: The team experiences something between a defeat and a victory . Everyone is unsure of how to process it, especially the team leaders.This a work from the collaborative fandom project, Aphelion. This work is available as part of the 'Shiro/Allura' Book.





	Drawline

“We’ve got an opening Keith!”

“I’m on it! Lance, flank me!” 

“You got it!” A blur of red and blue went for the back of the ship. 

“Hunk, how long can you keep up the distraction?” Shiro asked, desperate.

“Are you kidding? We could do this all day,” Pidge replied, unable to hide the smile in her voice when she shot the ion cannon full of vines.

“No time to get cocky, but keep it up,” Shiro reproved, but also had a small, proud grin. 

“No problem,” Hunk replied and Shiro tried to take in the scene as fast as he could. 

Lance and Keith attacking the back of the ship without mercy. Pidge had disabled the ion cannon completely and could do it over and over again while they took the ship down. Hunk was ripping off external parts of the ship like how a real lion tore it’s prey to shreds. At first glance, it was going well. One battle ship against the defenders of the universe? No question who would win. Shiro was about to jump back into the fight when Allura’s voice came over the com.

“Shiro we can’t take the ship down yet!”

“What?” he asked, having never heard her tell them to stop fighting.

“The ship! It’s going to crash into the Ixtepeclien main city! It’s sacred to them!”

‘Shit.’ Shiro thought and tried to come up with a new plan. Before trying too hard, he checked in with the team.

“Everyone hear that?”

“Well yeah, but it’s already going down!” Lance squawked, him and Keith ceasing fire. Pidge and Hunk stopped too and looked down at the wide and glorious city. Hunk looked past the city and got probably the only acceptable idea as a solution.

“Guys, lets get together and try to steer it west. It’s deserted on that side of the city.”

“Copy that.” 

“Roger.” 

“10-4.” 

“On my way.”

All five of them flew to one side of the ship and used all the energy they had to try and alter the descent. It was a valiant effort, but as Pidge looked down, she saw that they were close enough to the planet to see roads.

“Shiro this isn’t working!”

“You’re right, let’s form Voltron and see if that works better.”

They all silently agreed and flew away from the dying ship. When they all came together as one and formed Voltron, they took the same side of the ship and pushed harder. It was still difficult, but at least it was working. The hypergravity of Ixtepec was unexpected for the small size of the planet, being no bigger than the size of Earth’s moon. Hence, the ship fell faster than they had anticipated and crash landed just on the west side of the city. 

The result was a huge dust cloud accompanied by loud screams and people evacuating the area just before impact. Everyone had the same thought go through their minds: ‘We failed’. Soon after, they split apart and landed on the ground, just outside the south exit of the city, standing together as a team in the dust in front of their lions. 

As the Ixtepecliens approached the Paladins, Allura and Coran landed the ship behind them. They were dressed differently than the others evacuating, whom wore robes and shirts of muted and muddy colors, and paid no attention to the lions or the ship. These Ixtepec people that came towards them wore red and orange clothing; cloth wrapped around torsos and long flowing skirt-like bottoms to endure the almost unbearable heat with white covering some heads. Their skin ranged from burnt orange to chocolate brown, all with the same red eyes. Ixtepecliens were humanoid creatures, save for the ears reminiscent of rabbits atop their heads and pulled back into what could only be described as pony tails. 

The brighter colored clothed ones came close enough to speak with the team just as Allura and Coran joined them.

“My name is Ysab and I am the head priestess and the chief of this settlement. Who ordered you to come?” The front person demanded.

“No one ordered us to come, we picked up on your distress beacon and saw the Galra ship. You were under attack and we stopped your people from being harmed,” Allura clarified in the most tactful way she could.

“We were not under attack! That was our supply ship!” A different voice called out. 

An awkward pause fell over the team. 

“Why would you be getting supplies from the Galra?” Shiro asked, taking off his helmet. “Are you their allies?”

“Not that it is your concern, but no, we are not. The Galra people visited here hundreds of decapheebs ago. They found quickly that our home has nothing to offer besides our special export, which contains traces of quintessence. We set up a trading agreement and we export most of it to them in trade for not being terminated. It has been that way for many generations,” Ysab explained. 

Shiro sighed and wiped the sweat from his brow, the planet hot and dry like a desert. 

“What about the distress beacon?” Allura asked. “Why would you send that out if you weren’t in trouble?”

“That is my fault.” Another stepped forward, a child in tow. “Along with this insolent one.” 

“Ynes! How could you allow this?” Ysab asked.

“I took my eye off him for a only a tick while hailing the ship and he became fearful,” she replied. Ysab looked down at the young boy. 

“I have told you many times Tríz, the Galra are not a threat to us.”

“I know, but the stories…” He replied and looked to the ground, ashamed. Ynes took his hand. 

“You are coming home with me. This needs to be dealt with domestically.”

Another person whispered to Ysab and she sighed, eyeing the team with rage.

“Luz reports that our Great Oaxaca Temple has been decimated. We have nowhere to sacrifice to L’Albir now. This is disastrous. And not only that, but we have a giant ship full of useless sentries crushing a part of our city with no way to move it.” She took a breath and looked them over. “I would like to know how the great Paladins of Voltron are going to solve this in exchange for my lack of report that you were ever here. I know the Galra want you,” she demanded and the team looked to one another.

“We can help move the pieces away from the city. And we can get the supplies you offer back onto a pod and sent to the correct place,” Allura suggested. 

“And the explanation for the ship crash?” Ysab asked.

“We can log it as a malfunction. I’ve dealt with the tech enough to fake the log,” Pidge spoke up. 

Ysab spoke with her associates and agreed. 

“All right. Do as you said and then leave Ixtepec. You are no more welcome here than the Galra. A nuisance even,” she finished and walked away, leaving everyone not only confused, but angry as well. 

They did as agreed. They moved the pieces of the ship out of the city. Allura programed a pod to go to the hub with their supplies (which looked a lot like grains). Pidge wiped the log and made her own that described the malfunction in the engine and the crash. When they were done, they were quickly shooed off Ixtepec, leaving with a sense of unease. It wasn’t a win or a defeat. It was something in between that they hadn’t dealt with before, which was unsettling to say the least. 

With all the lions in their hangers and the ship in space once again, they all met at the bridge, still in armor. They stood awkwardly for a moment, trying to process the events of the day. Lance was naturally the first to speak. 

“What just happened?”

“Well, we destroyed a Galra supply ship that was sentry controlled, although somehow domestic,” Pidge started as she ticked off the events on her fingers. “We flattened a temple as well as about a fifth of a sacred alien city.” Lance gave her an evil stare, but she ignored it; though the rest of her team merely looked at her. “Voltron is in no way allied with the people of that planet, nor are we enemies. And they could blackmail us at anytime with info that not only were we there, but that we have the ability to override Galra tech should the opportunity arise. Did I miss anything?”

“Good talk, Pidge,” Keith commented as he crossed his arms.

“Hey, I was just answering a question! How about you figure out what happened down there?” Pidge yelled defensively.

“How about we just call it a draw and move on?” Hunk pleaded, trying to put it behind them. Shiro pinched the bridge of his nose. He could feel Keith yelling before he heard it.

“You really want to just erase today? That’s a terrible idea! I can’t get over it if my lion is upset about it for the rest of eternity.” Keith sulked.

“Hey, at least your lion has an opinion!” Lance dropped his helmet from his hip to his side. “Blue was super quiet on the way back, and her and I are never quiet. It was like riding home from school with my mom after the principal called for her to come get me.”

“Guys, enough!” Shiro commanded a little too harshly. He sighed and tried to calm himself. “Yes, it was an odd encounter, but at the end of the day we did our job. We replied to a distress beacon and took out a Galra ship effectively. If that’s all you take away from this, that’s fine. Just don’t read too much into it. It was something that came up on our way to Zamora. Now that it’s over, we can get back on track.” 

“So we’re just dropping this?” Keith asked, baffled. “Like it never happened?”

“No, we’re going to sleep on it and get the best we can get out of this tomorrow in our morning briefing.”

They all collectively looked at Shiro and sighed, walking away disgruntled to their own rooms. Shiro stayed behind with Coran and Allura. He dropped his hand and looked out at the stars, trying to collect his thoughts.

“Bit stressed?” Coran asked. Shiro nodded.

“It was unusual. You’re not in the wrong to have the team rest,” Allura mentioned, trying to comfort him. 

Shiro remained quiet, not caring about the stagnant silence. Coran, however, was not okay with it.

“Well,” Coran said and stretched a bit, “I’m going to go and make sure the lions are in top shape before we hit Zamora. The Akluji Asteroid Field is no walk in the park, which we have to pass through to get to the Matale system.” 

With that he walked off and left Shiro and Allura alone. Shiro was still staring at the stars as Allura watched his face intently. He wasn’t acting like himself, nor was he doing anything. He almost wasn’t even aware that she was there. 

“Shiro?”

He made a small noise and turned to her with a blank face.

“Shiro, do you need to talk about it?” Allura offered.

“There’s nothing to talk about. Like I told everyone… we’ll figure it out tomorrow,” he said with a stoic tone, as if he were holding back so much more. He grabbed his helmet by the bottom rim and turned to leave the bridge. Just steps away from the door, Allura stopped him.

“Shiro, wait.”

He turned and raised an eyebrow, watching her walk up to him. She took his empty left hand and smiled. He blushed, confused.

“I have somewhere to take you.”

“I think it’s late. Shouldn’t we sleep?” he mentioned, avoiding eye contact.

“Your version of sleep is staring at your ceiling for hours. It's not healthy and if you go with me, I promise it’s much more interesting than that,” she smiled again and the corner of his lips curved.

“All right, all right. I’ll go. Lead the way,” he conceded, almost feeling better from just a small exchange of glances and holding her hand. 

Allura took him through various corridors, stopping once only at a room he had never been in before. It was littered with all types of armor and suits, although littered may not have been the right word. They were all in cases much like the Paladin armor was. She chose a pink and white helmet he recognized. She grabbed his hand again after putting it on and continued her trek.

“Why do you need that?” Shiro questioned, a little lost.

“I suggest you put yours on too.” She grinned and let go of his hand. She put on her helmet and made sure the shield covered her entire face. Shiro followed suit and they came upon a door he was familiar with. 

“Why are you ejecting me into space?” Shiro asked jokingly through the com. He got a rise out of her, making her laugh. She leaned down and pressed a button on the back of each of her heels. Shiro mirrored her and she opened the glass bay door, waiting for him. 

“Trust me,” she insisted and extended her hand out for him. He smiled and took it, letting the bay doors close behind them. She grabbed a red handle that hung from the wall like a parachute cord, then waited for him to do the same. He grabbed one on the other side with his right hand and she nodded.

“Get ready.”

She pushed the button for the outside doors to open and the air started to be sucked out into space.

“Allura…” he said, uneasy. She just held out her hand as a wait sign. When the doors were open and the room was fully decompressed, he found that he hadn’t needed the handle at all. Something was holding him to the ship. 

She was the first to let go and he almost screamed and reached out for her until he watched her walk calmly to the edge of the doors, nothing but space behind her and she turned to him.

“Are you coming?”

He nodded and let go, following her out into space. He was stable on the side of the ship, feeling the gravity in his boots connect with it. He followed her up the curve to the top, like galactic hiking. When he looked out, he could see not only the nose of the ship pointing ahead, but the whole universe around them. Allura sat on the edge, her feet towards the front of the ship. Shiro came next to her and sat, staring up at the stars. It was a while before either of them spoke.

“Is it better than a dark room?” She asked, already knowing the answer. He grinned and looked at her.

“Much better.”

They both looked up and felt content before Shiro slowly grew rigid. Allura looked to him and his face was blank again.

“You will have to talk about it at some point. I know you lead the others but I’ve always thought of us as equals.” She paused and put a hand on his shoulder. “I won’t judge you Shiro.”

She let him take his time and finally he sighed.It also sounded rougher through the com than it actually was. He leaned back and watched the stars above him with one hand behind his head.

“Today was nothing short of a disaster,” he started and she listened, watching the same view. “Everything Pidge said was right. And what’s worse is that we didn’t really help anyone, we caused more harm than good. How am I supposed to comfort my team when I’m just as lost as they are? We’ve gone through horrible losses, and some amazing victories… but I don’t know what this is. I feel so useless, you know?”

He sat up and looked to Allura.

“And I can’t tell them this or even vent to them because it’s my job to keep everyone together. So, here I am.” He stopped and looked to his lap. Allura just watched the ship travel through constellation after constellation. 

“An impasse,” she whispered.

“Hmm?”

“An impasse. We didn’t win, we didn’t lose, and it’s impossible to make the situation better. We are at an impasse with Ixtepec and it’s not a reflection of Voltron, it’s a reflection of the state of the universe.”

“I’m not one to let loose ends fly,” he admitted. “I draw the line when it puts us in danger.”

“Shiro.” She laughed and he looked at her with his eyebrow raised again. “None of us are in danger. The Ixtepecliens are famous for empty threats and bargaining. How do you think they became neutral with the Galra?” She chuckled again and shook her head. “They are nothing to worry about. I promise.”

“Thanks for being cavalier about this,” he said sarcastically and Allura took his hand again. He looked her in the eye and she had a serious look on her face.

“Cavalier is something I rarely am. Especially about Voltron.” She paused and gripped tighter. “Or you.”  
He blushed again and looked down.

“Allura, you know we can’t do this. I’m not being neutral about it, I’m holding back,” he confessed softly. 

“Shiro, in the last fight we had against Zarkon, you thought I might have died when our Castle was attacked. You went mad and destroyed a lot of ships, which is commendable… but you are not holding back at all. You’re fighting yourself and you’re only going to get hurt in the process.”

“We are going to get hurt if we do this. We can’t balance a relationship and the team at the same time, we’ve been over this,” he repeated firmly.

“We, or you, Shiro?” she demanded and held his stare when he looked up. “I am as much a part of this team as the others. I am part of your team. We are a family. And you and I—”

“Are leaders to this team and shouldn’t be able to let a weak point enter our ranks.” He fumed, but she didn’t look away like the champion she was. “This would be perfect for Zarkon to use against us.”

“He already has,” she said softly, remembering throwing him into an escape pod to evade entering a Galra prison once again. 

Allura stood and let go of his hand, heading back toward the bay door. He followed her inside and was happy to be able to take his helmet off. He looked to her and she balanced her helmet on her hip, much like how Lance and he did. She looked and acted like a Paladin. He smiled thinking about that and came to her side.

“I’m sorry, you’re right. You always are,” he admitted calmly.

“Not always,” she responded quietly, then turned to him. “I used to think our team would never work, but here we are, fighting Zarkon and getting closer every day to ending his reign.”

He smiled and cupped her cheek in his hand. She closed her eyes and leaned into the touch.

“This day has been my drawline. I don’t want to remember today, but I also don’t want to forget it. It’s an experience we should learn from…” He brushed a piece of hair away from her face. “Especially me.”

She opened her eyes and tried to read his. She saw conflict, fear, hesitation, but also a tender giddiness. Before she knew it, he had leaned in and kissed her softly. Just once. One kiss. She smiled when their lips parted and looked up to him. She wanted to ask a million questions, but he stopped her train of thought.

“Trial basis.”

“What?”

“We can do this, but on a trial basis first. I need to make sure I can do this. I said you were right, remember?” He smirked and the look on her face was priceless. She was in shock and a little angry.

“And when you reach success at the end of this ‘trial courtship’?” She folded her arms and pouted a bit, slightly arrogant.

“Then you—then I have no need to hold back anymore.” He smiled and pulled her in to embrace her. She hugged him back without hesitation and he kissed her cheek.

“Thank you for letting me see the stars. It kinda helped and I think I know what to say to everyone tomorrow.”

“What’s that?” she asked, intrigued.

“I guess you’ll have to come to the meeting to find out.” He smirked and left her side, heading for his cabin. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

“Thank you for being so grateful and letting me help you,” she stated, sarcasm and bitterness on each word.

“You’re adorable when you’re mad,” he remarked over his shoulder, “and when you’ve lost.”

“Impasse, not a loss!” she called after him, a small smile creeping across her face.

**Author's Note:**

> This project was super fun and I am so happy I got to be a part of it! I have two more parts from Aphelion, so look out for those.


End file.
